TEFAF New York Fall 2019 opened on Friday, November 1, at the Park Avenue Armory, following a  well-attended preview day on Thursday, October 31. With museum-quality works accompanying collaborative booth spaces showcasing the aesthetic interplay between historic and modern and contemporary art, the Fair saw robust sales during the preview, with reserves and conversations continuing as the Fair progresses. Strong institutional interest and buying prevailed throughout, with some of the world’s most eminent museums represented in the first couple of days.

Sales of paintings began within hours of opening. Robilant + Voena (Booth 201) sold a portrait of Hungarian composer Franz Lizst (1838) by Austrian painter Friedrich von Amerling (1803-1887), and first-time exhibitor Nicolás Cortés Gallery (Booth 303), sold Lady lying in a divan by Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta (1841-1920). Robert Simon’s (Booth 327) The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and Saint Elizabeth, a drawing by Italian painter Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) sold to a private collector for an undisclosed amount. 

American dealer Taylor | Graham (Booth 321) sold oil painting Nacht (Amstelburg in Amsterdam) (1908), by leading Dutch Modernist Leo Gestel (1881-1941). Another returning exhibitor, Gallery 19C (Booth 370), sold two pieces in the early hours of the Fair: Gustave Courbet’s (1819-1877) Low Tide in Normandy for an asking price of $175,000, and The Rosary (c. 1900) by Dutch painter Nicholas Wilhelm Jungmann (1872-1935) for an asking price of $50,000.

Galerie Kevorkian (Booth 323) sold works across their specialties on the opening day, including a pair of openwork finials with griffin heads (c. 7th-6th century BC), an Iznik border tile with tulips and lotus flowers (c. 1580) and Iskandar with his mother Nahid and bride Roshanak (c. 16th century AD), an illustrated folio from a manuscript of the Shahanna.

Contemporary gallery Sean Kelly (Booth 210), who partnered with ancient arts dealer Charles Ede (Booth 210), sold two editions of Kehinde Wiley’s (b. 1977) much-admired painted bronze sculpture Rumors of War (2019) and Sol LeWitt’s (1928-2007) ink on paper piece, Red Grid, Yellow Circles, Black Arcs From Four Sides and Blue Arcs from Four Corners (1972). This pair is among seven new collaborative booths at TEFAF New York Fall, which offer a fresh approach to collecting to fairgoers who are used to contemporary art fairs. 

Sales of Asian art included Sebastian Izzard (Booth 369), which sold a range of prints on the opening night, priced from $50,000 - $200,000, and Gregg Baker Asian Art (Booth 353)’s a pair of six-fold paper screens painted in ink and colour with sakura (cherry trees) and kiku (chrysanthemums) on a gold ground (c. 16th-17th century).

Tambaran (Booth 371), an exhibitor embracing cross-collecting within its everyday practice, sold a stunning Sung Hee Cho (b. 1949) three dimensional painting, titled Garden (2019) for an undisclosed price. Tamaran, one of New York City’s most respected Tribal Art galleries, has hung several of Shun Hee Cho’s works to complement its tribal sculpture. 

Stephen Ongpin (Booth 355) sold Henri Matisse’s (1869-1954), A Standing Female Nude (1950), charcoal and pencil drawing heightened with white and grey gouache, that showcases how this artist continued to experiment throughout his career. 

TEFAF New York Fall is accompanied by a dynamic roster of programs, including TEFAF New York’s “Coffee Talks” and “TEFAF Afternoons” series, panel discussions, receptions, and more. On Opening Day, November 1, Claire Barry, Director of the Kimbell Art Museum; Michael Gallagher, Chairman, Paintings Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Robert van Langh, Head, Department of Conservation and Science, Rijksmuseum, came together with Moderator, Jim Coddington, former Chief Conservator, Museum of Modern Art, to discuss, Thoughts from the Scaffold: Conserving Works in Public. 

Later in the day, a packed audience turned out for Chinese Art and Its Markets: A Tremulous Present, What for the Future? where an eminent panel of art and economic experts took stock of the current critical state of relations between mainland China and Hong Kong and discussed the implications for the future.

On Saturday morning, November 2nd,  a lively panel of experts convened on the topic of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666), known as Guercino, to discuss the continued perennial appeal of his work, Still Passionate for Guercino, against the backdrop of the current exhibition, Guercino: Virtuoso Draftsman, at the Morgan Library and Museum. 

For a full list and schedule of TEFAF New York’s Cultural Program, please visit: www.tefaf.com/culture.

Notable attendees included: collectors Ronald and Jo Carole Lauder; Anderson Cooper; fashion designer Marc Jacobs; financier James Gorman; Philippe de Montebello; Jerry Lauren; Irene Roosevelt Aitken; architect Peter Marino; and businessman Henri Barguirdjian.

The opening celebration on Thursday, October 31 also included The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s fourth annual Opening Night Benefit, the proceeds of which will support The Society’s patient care, research, and education programs at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 

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Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,400 retail financial centers, including more than 1,700 lending centers, more than 1,900 Merrill Edge investment centers and more than 1,300 business centers; approximately 16,100 ATMs; and award- winning digital banking with more than 36 million active users, including 25 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

About TEFAF New York

TEFAF New York was founded in early 2016 to host two annual art fairs in New York at the Park Avenue Armory, TEFAF New York Fall and TEFAF New York Spring. Each Fair features around 90 leading exhibitors from around the globe. Tom Postma Design, celebrated for its innovative work with leading museums, galleries, and art fairs, has developed designs for the Fairs that interplay with the spectacular spaces while giving them a lighter, contemporary look and feel. Exhibitor stands will flow throughout the Armory’s landmark building encompassing the Wade Thompson Drill Hall and extending to both the first and second floors of the Armory’s period rooms, creating a Fair of unprecedented depth and impact in New York City.

About TEFAF Maastricht

TEFAF Maastricht is widely regarded as the world's premier Fair for fine art, antiques and design. Featuring over 280 prestigious dealers from some 22 countries, TEFAF Maastricht is a showcase for the finest art works currently on the market. TEFAF is a not-for-profit foundation acting as an expert guide for both private and institutional collectors in a global marketplace, which inspires lovers and buyers of art everywhere. Alongside the traditional areas of Old Master paintings, antiques and classical antiquities that cover approximately half of the Fair, you can also find modern and contemporary art, photography, jewelry, 20th century design and works on paper.

THE UPCOMING EDITION OF TEFAF MAASTRICHT WILL RUN FROM MARCH 7-15 MARCH 2020.

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